The Auto Union GP machine above would be a very "late twenties" car, since it was campaigned in 1939.

Perhaps the 2 grandest and most over-achieving marques of the 1920s were both born, and died, in that decade. First the Doble steam automobiles, created by the engineering genius Abner Doble. Most of them built in 1925:

The other is the Wills St Claire, created by another giant of automotive engineering, C. Harold Wills. Wills was the engineering right-hand of Henry Ford in the beginning of Ford Motor Company, and the Model T was showered with his mechanical and metalllurgical innovations. His own car, shown here, was a cost-no-object piece of engineering artistry that featured the first SOHC V8 engine in a roadgoing automobile, hydraulic brakes, the world's first backup lamps (a minor yet important innovation), lightweight construction throughout, and perhaps the most meticulous quality control of any automobiles before or since:

The 1927 LaSalle, which was GM's "companion make" for Cadillac, was the first production automobile line to receive the design input of the immortal Harley Earl, who came to GM on contract and ended up practically running the company as its all-important VP of Styling. Earl's work on this LaSalle created a sensation in the industry and set trends that influenced carmakers worldwide. Earl made this into a GM habit over the coming decades. Here is a picture of the 1927 LaSalle serving as the Official Pace Car for that year's Indianapolis 500 Sweepstakes Race (as it was called back then):

Do you enjoy old cars and long-winded stories about them? If your answer is "yes", then you might enjoy my blogpage. Try it here: http://vwlarry.blogspot.com . Leave a comment, too; I love feedback! Thanx for reading.

Do you enjoy old cars and long-winded stories about them? If your answer is "yes", then you might enjoy my blogpage. Try it here: http://vwlarry.blogspot.com . Leave a comment, too; I love feedback! Thanx for reading.

The '20s were an interesting transition period as cars got less wagon-like and more car like. Up until the '20s most cars were open air, some having side curtains, but few had roll up windows. Back seat heaters were nearly non-existent so cars came equipped with "robe rails" for horse-hair blankets and robes to keep you warm. Model Ts came with heaters that used the heat of the exhaust manifold to blow into the passenger compartment while you were at speed. My '33 Continental Flyer didn't even come with one.

Another interesting change is seen in the Bugatti seen above. It has an open air cockpit for the driver and aid. They were common folk and back then most houses didn't have indoor plumbing so baths were only taken every week or so. The enclosed compartment was self-preservation for the Gentry set.

Yes, limiting cars to the '20s leaves out some of the most beautiful cars in the world, the Streamliners, but I respect starting a thread like this.

Garmin Is My Pilot.

I am confident you are wrong, but instead of illustrating why, I will just make disparaging remarks about your reading comprehension.
-Zukjimpiphile

The last two are replicas meant to look somewhat similar to the Mercedes SSK. They aren't real. I don't know the manufacture, but I would guess it's a CMC Gazelle or something.

That doesn't surprise me. After seeing what some of these super old Mercedes cars go for.

Originally Posted by barry2952

The '20s were an interesting transition period as cars got less wagon-like and more car like. Up until the '20s most cars were open air, some having side curtains, but few had roll up windows. Back seat heaters were nearly non-existent so cars came equipped with "robe rails" for horse-hair blankets and robes to keep you warm. Model Ts came with heaters that used the heat of the exhaust manifold to blow into the passenger compartment while you were at speed. My '33 Continental Flyer didn't even come with one.

Another interesting change is seen in the Bugatti seen above. It has an open air cockpit for the driver and aid. They were common folk and back then most houses didn't have indoor plumbing so baths were only taken every week or so. The enclosed compartment was self-preservation for the Gentry set.

Yes, limiting cars to the '20s leaves out some of the most beautiful cars in the world, the Streamliners, but I respect starting a thread like this.

Are you talking about the Bugatti Royal I posted the black and white photo of? Either way, thanks for sharing! I love little pieces of car trivia like that. And I am buckling a bit, posting things that are after 1930's... Like you said, the 20's are a good transition phase but I think you can still see a lot of influence from the car cars in cars in the 30's as well, and that's kind of what I'm after.

I think so... Thanks for sharing that engine photo.. Did you talk to the owner at all, if so did he do the restoration himself or did he pay someone to do it? Also, I guess that Tatra is the first streamliner. Wiki says its the first car ever designed to be truly aerodynamic and was designed, in part, by the guy that did the zeppelin.

I think so... Thanks for sharing that engine photo.. Did you talk to the owner at all, if so did he do the restoration himself or did he pay someone to do it? Also, I guess that Tatra is the first streamliner. Wiki says its the first car ever designed to be truly aerodynamic and was designed, in part, by the guy that did the zeppelin.

Not the first streamliner, by any means, but the first to be tested for stability.

I speak to a lot of people, but suffer from NND, New Name Disorder; always have. I love it when the better shows put the owner's names on their credentials.

That looks like a pretty fresh restoration, but you never know. The restoration on my Mark II convertible is going on 20 years, astounding most people. I know where all the flaws are, though.

Garmin Is My Pilot.

I am confident you are wrong, but instead of illustrating why, I will just make disparaging remarks about your reading comprehension.
-Zukjimpiphile

It is definitely one of the pinnacles... I don't think you can really compare these old streamlined cars to some of the new cars... To me, its more like different genres of art. Both incredibly beautiful, but in different ways.

Originally Posted by barry2952

Not the first streamliner, by any means, but the first to be tested for stability.

I speak to a lot of people, but suffer from NND, New Name Disorder; always have. I love it when the better shows put the owner's names on their credentials.

That looks like a pretty fresh restoration, but you never know. The restoration on my Mark II convertible is going on 20 years, astounding most people. I know where all the flaws are, though.

Was worth a shot. It looks like a really nice resto, and I like that they didn't try and change, polish or modify anything. It looks like it just rolled out of the showroom floor, but then that is what a concourse show is .

And idk the year for these Benz's but they have that classic sweetness factor to them-

:

These are just pastiche kit cars built on shortened VW chassis. Seventies gar-bahjjjje.

Do you enjoy old cars and long-winded stories about them? If your answer is "yes", then you might enjoy my blogpage. Try it here: http://vwlarry.blogspot.com . Leave a comment, too; I love feedback! Thanx for reading.

The '33 Flyer is also a transition car. While the '32 Fords were all-steel, that feature was uncommon for most cars. Most cars were made from sheet metal nailed or screwed to a wood frame. Wood holds moisture so many of the cars simply rotted or rusted away. Structural integrity was a joke after a couple of years of rough roads. Some of the crash pictures are pretty horrific.

Brief history of this car and why people find it significant. First, it's the only known running example in the Western Hemisphere. It was designed for a new entry into the growing auto market of 200, or so, manufacturers. The Continental Motor Company made engines for most of those companies, along with Lycoming and others. They got stuck with a debt of $500,000 for unpaid bills for engines private labelled Hall for the DeVaux Company. They traded a portion of the debt for the factory and the existing stock of unbuilt bodies and went into the car-building business, competing with their customers. The Flyer model lasted a single year and the company stopped building cars in 1934.

The car is significant in other ways. They took what they thought were the best automotive ideas of the time and applied them to their product. The rear suspension used (4) quarter elliptical springs to locate and spring the rear axle for significantly lowered sprung weight. The split front axle had a transverse spring on the front. While that was common for cars of that era, what was uncommon was that there was only one shackle. One end was fixed to the axle and the other had a shackle to allow for movement, but that created a 3-point suspension, a very stable configuration. It eliminated the side to side sway of the "buggy-ride" motion of most cars. They took that theory a step further and applied it to an engine for the fist time. The transmission was supported on a single mount with two spring/rubber mounts up front. This eliminated the typical side to side motto of a motor/trans on 4 mounts.

The one thing that set this car above many others in its low price range is that it was designed by a Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky, a russian nobleman that designed cars for french companies. It was high style for low dollars.

Note the wide stance and wheel gap, both very unusual for the time.

Garmin Is My Pilot.

I am confident you are wrong, but instead of illustrating why, I will just make disparaging remarks about your reading comprehension.
-Zukjimpiphile